pumpkin pie slow cooker steel-cut oatmeal

04/30/2013 by · 1 Comment

Do you only eat oatmeal in the fall & winter?  Or do you love it enough to eat it all year like I do?

I’m pretty sure I could eat oatmeal every single morning for the rest of my life and not get sick of it.  If only the rest of my family felt the same way!  ;o)

So, I try to limit myself and also to change things up for them as much as I can.

I absolutely love making oatmeal in the slow cooker.  Less than 5 minutes of prep and I get to wake up to a hot breakfast and a house that smells amazing!

Steel-cut oats are so good for you too…  they, ahem, keep things moving rather nicely.

Also, oatmeal reheats beautifully, in case you didn’t know that!

You can make this oatmeal even healthier if you leave out the sugar and butter.  (Fast Metabolism Dieters – this is a great phase 1 recipe!)  

So, make a batch of this, and portion out the rest into freezer containers and reheat them as you need them.  Fast, easy, healthy breakfasts on the go!

Print
pumpkin pie overnight steel-cut oatmeal

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups steel-cut oats
  • 6 c water
  • 3/4 cup milk (any kind)
  • 1 cup pumpkin purée
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil

Directions

Lightly grease the slow cooker insert. Measure in all the ingredients and stir to combine.

Cook on LOW for up to 8 hours, or WARM if it will be longer.

When you're ready to eat, give it all a good stir (it will look separated) to bring it all together, taste for sugar and cinnamon and enjoy!

http://sweetannas.com/2013/04/pumpkin-pie-slow-cooker-steel-cut-oatmeal.html

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - breakfast, recipes - crockpot, recipes - freezer, recipes - gluten free, recipes - healthy, recipes - make ahead, recipes - natural, recipes - slow cooker ·

mexican-style hearty chicken soup

12/10/2012 by · Leave a Comment


 
This hearty, mexican-style chicken soup is full of beans, veggies, and a satisfying kick of spice and lime.

And it’s one of my new favorite soups!

I really am in love with soups lately. Soups of all kinds really.  Soups, stews, chili…  all cozy, easy, one-pot meals!

Unfortunately I think my family is getting sick of them and I was specifically asked not to make anymore soups for a while.

I guess I’m not very good at following instructions! (As if there was any doubt about that. Sorry, honey!)

This soup was absolutely worth the rule-breaking though…  almost like a tortilla soup from your favorite mexican restaurat, only easier and heartier!

There is just nothing like a good hot bowl of soup on a cold winter’s day.

Print
mexican-style hearty chicken soup

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 2 large celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 frozen boneless-skinless chicken thighs (or 2-3 breasts)
  • 1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes
  • 2 (15oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 (8oz) can diced green chiles
  • 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
  • 2 teaspoons taco/chili seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder, to taste
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 1-2 regular limes, juiced (to taste!)

Directions

Heat the butter in a large dutch oven over medium high heat until hot. Dump in the onions, carrots and celery and sauté until soft and starting to brown, seasoning with the seasoning salt (Johnny's) while you stir. Stir in the garlic and sauté for a few seconds until very fragrant.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients except for the lime juice, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours or longer.

Take the chicken out of the soup, shred it with a fork and then return it to the pot. Squeeze in the fresh lime juice (lemon will work fine if that's all you have!) and taste for seasoning, adding more salt/pepper/spice if desired.

Serve with tortilla chips and diced avocados, if you want a Tortilla-Soup-style experience!

http://sweetannas.com/2012/12/mexican-style-hearty-chicken-soup.html

 

Filed Under: recipes, recipes - dinner, recipes - freezer, recipes - healthy, recipes - make ahead, recipes - slow cooker, recipes - soup ·

hearty beef & bean soup… on the stovetop or in the slow cooker!

09/26/2012 by · 2 Comments

Tender, melt-in-your mouth chunks of beef, with a flavor-packed broth and a bunch of beans, veggies and potatoes.  This is a perfect hearty fall soup for these chilly evenings that are approaching!

I think I could eat soup every day and not get tired of it.  Soup is definitely near the top of my list of all-time favorite foods…  but oddly enough I always forget how much I love it until I am eating it.

I’m actually pretty sure I’ve never met a soup I didn’t like.  Obviously some are more loved than others, but I love soup in every form.  Thin, thick, creamy, brothy, meaty, light…  There are just so many amazing options, it never gets old for me.

This soup started out as a clean-out-the-fridge dinner, but as ingredients got thrown into the pot I realized how tasty it was getting.  By dinner time, I knew I had to share this with you and will definitely be making it again!

I absolutely love the beef in here.  Tender, juicy and packed full of flavor…  so comforting and satisfying!

Hearty Beef & Bean Soup Recipe

Ingredients:
2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons bacon fat or olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 long celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large baking potato, raw or leftover baked, chopped
3 cans beans, rinsed (I used 2 black & 1 garbanzo!)
4 cups beef or chicken stock
4 cups water
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a large stockpot or dutch oven, heat the bacon fat (if you don’t have any, olive oil will work) over medium-high heat.  Sauté the onion, carrots and celery until soft and slightly browned.  Stir in the garlic and sauté for a minute or two until very fragrant.

Push the veggies all to the sides and dump the meat into the center to brown a little before adding in the rest of the ingredients.

Bring everything to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low.  Simmer for as long as possible for best results, but at least 6 hours if you are using regular stew meat.

This is a soup that tastes better the longer it simmers.  You could even start it one night and reheat it the next for amazing results!

OR brown all the veggies and meat and then dump it and everything else into the slow cooker on low for 8-12 hours for an almost hands-free meal.  Yum!

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